Dr. John O'Horo: The type of mask I'm wearing right now is
what's typically called a procedural mask or minimum
performance mask. It's essentially a paper mask that
doesn't have a fluid shield layer in it. But it's very good
at filtering very small particles, which are the what we
think transmit COVID-19. For me wearing this, this is the kind
of mask that protects everyone around me as a source mask very
well, and does provide me with some protection. Now in the
health care setting, we start to see a different kinds of masks
called ASTM rated masks like this one here, or this one. Here
they have typically they have different colors, and they have
a fluid shield in them that protects you from splash or
spray. Those ones are perfectly fine to use in this setting,
that fluid shield does protect from a close range sneeze, for
example, but they're not strictly necessary in all
settings. So just wearing a mask that has a good fit is more
important than anything else. This is a surgical mask,
surgical mask typically have tied back year loops. And these
kinds of masks are used in operating rooms everywhere,
they're very adjustable for comfort for long procedures and
such to make sure you have a good fit. And you can do that
for an entire period in the operating room, I find your
loops more convenient, but that's more of a choice. These
are perfectly adequate masks. Now this is a KN95. The K stands
for Korean It's a Korean certified version, not as the
N95 masks that are used in healthcare. There are some
issues with these where there's a lot of products on the market
that are sold as KN95 that are not KN95. So I always advise a
little bit of caution in relying on these. Having said that these
work reasonably well, especially if they're worn properly. In the
healthcare setting, we're only using N95, during what we call
aerosol generating procedures when people work around patients
airways and such. And part of that is because wearing a true
respirator requires a tight fit, it's uncomfortable to wear for
prolonged periods, so it's very easy to let it slip down. And
that's more dangerous than wearing a different mask that
might have a little bit less filtration, but is being worn
consistently improperly. Now, I'm in a socially distance
setting right now. So I'm going to remove my mask and show the
proper way to do this. So when you're wearing a mask, one of
these fluid rated masks, you want to keep the colored side
out, the specific color doesn't matter. Much. Some manufacturers
use different color coding to indicate what they are. But if
you do see a color typically that's the fluid shield layer
that should be filtered out, you want to hold the mask by the
edges or by the ear loops and put it over each ear. And then
bring it down underneath your chin and over your nose holding
by the edges and pinch that right at the nose. Then as
you're just feeling around, you should be feeling that you have
you're not feeling a lot of air escape, you don't feel a big jet
going in your eye. If you're wearing glasses, you shouldn't
be seeing fog. If you are just pinch and readjust for that.
Some people depending on your face shape, find that putting a
twist in here can help with bringing that up on the side and
up around the other side. And that can give you a better fit.
Now when you take the mask off, you try to avoid touching the
main part here because that's where all of the droplets and
particles may have landed, you tried to just put that down or
dispose of it in the same way. Now, for the KN95 or N95 masks.
You again, this one's an ear loop model. Most of these have a
have the N95's have a strap you put behind your head where you
put one over your ears and one under. But the basic principles
are the same, you're going to try to hold it by the edges,
bring it over and then pinch around to get a good fit. Then
you want to hold your hands around it and make sure you're
not if you're holding your this mask tight and you breathe in.
You feel sucking around your face that's telling you that
you're getting that good filtration. And then you want to
put your hands around and breathe out. And I felt air
escape here and here for me, for example. So that tells me I want
to adjust it until I feel that it's mostly if not exclusively
going through that mask. Now because these ones are a little
harder to breathe through and a little harder to wear properly.
I again encourage these more for medical professionals and other
professionals who are experienced with wearing them.
But they do provide a very good degree of protection. I'm going
to switch back to a different mask now though, because this
one is a little harder to talk through. So I'm going to just
take it off, try again not to touch the the front of it, and
then put it down face down if I'm going to plan on wearing
that again. As long as these masks aren't visibly soiled and
you've only worn them for a couple of minutes like that or
in your really within the same day. That's a perfectly
reasonable thing to do depending on what kind of tasks here
you're doing.